Victor Koretzky wins for the sixth time in Banyoles after a hard-fought race that was decided on the final lap. The French rider sealed the victory on the final passage through the rock garden, a key moment in the race, which allowed him to fly solo towards the finish line. In the women’s category, Nicole Koller prevailed over a combative Valentina Corvi and Kelsey Urban, who becomes the new leader of the Shimano Super Cup Massi.

Victor Koretzky adds to his legend in Banyoles: sixth victory in the Cathedral of MTB

Banyoles once again experienced one of those weekends to remember. The 1,000 participants from 35 different countries gathered under a splendid sun that shone brightly throughout the two days of competition. A starting grid of the highest competitive level and a circuit in perfect condition were the perfect ingredients for enjoying the best XCO on the planet at the 25th edition of the Shimano Super Cup Massi Banyoles.

Germany’s Luca Schwarzbauer took the lead in the early stages of the race, true to his offensive and uninhibited style. The peloton stretched out, even though the main favourites for victory kept the leading group together. Lillo, Koretzky, Fini, De Froidmont, List, Schuermans, Lillelund, Carod, Schehl and company matched the pace and kept up the pressure.

The race progressed with changes in the lead and attempted attacks, which came to nothing shortly after testing the strength of the rivals. Koretzky was at the front from the start, taking on a more secondary role at times.

The status quo remained unchanged until the final lap: time to expend the last watts of energy. Koretzky took the initiative and set a strong pace, although without breaking away from the group. The arrival at the rock garden was decisive, when Lillo, Koretzky’s closest pursuer, put his foot down and forced the rest to do the same, which gave wings to Koretzky, who flew towards the finish line.

With this victory, Koretzky secures his sixth win on this course. Behind him, Lillo, Schwarzbauer, Fini—who leaves as the new leader of the Shimano Super Cup Massi—and Sarrou completed the podium. 

Nicole Koller wins in Banyoles and Kelsey Urban takes the lead in the Shimano Super Cup Massi 

The women’s race was marked by parity among the favourites and Koller’s superb performance, as she dominated the second half of the race. The Swiss rider stood strong against rivals such as Urban, Corvi, Jackson, Cortinovis and Bohé, among others, and managed to open up a gap of several seconds, which she managed perfectly. Corvi proved to be the strongest pursuer and crossed the finish line in second place, followed by Urban – leader of the Shimano Super Cup Massi – Jackson and Cortinovis.

Meanwhile, riders Daan Bakellar and Linnea Nilsson took the UCI Junior Series title.